


Age Before Beauty

by Tatsumaki_sama



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Age Difference, Angst, Drabble, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Medical Trauma, Protective Team, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Teenagers, Torture, World War II
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-25
Updated: 2014-08-21
Packaged: 2017-12-09 11:36:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 13,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/773759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tatsumaki_sama/pseuds/Tatsumaki_sama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve was younger than he had claimed and now they had to deal with the consequences of a sixteen-year-old soldier on and off the battlefield.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Bucky Barnes could have sworn that he lost ten years off his life from the night he saw Steve Rogers being buried alive underneath the broken rubble of a church, caused by one of the HYDRA missiles. He was still screaming for Steve even as he watched Falsworth and Dugan carry his best friend into the medical tent where Howard was preparing to treat him. Morita and Jones held on to either side of him, saying he was in good hands.

 

But as he watched in the distance of the small figures of Howard snapping orders to the rushing nurses, the huge numbers and medications that somehow rang above the rest of the panicky frenzy and into the night air caused his heart to jump to his throat.

 

" You don't know what you're doing!" Bucky suddenly cried out, nearly dragging the surprised Morita and Jones with him to the entrance of the medical tent where one nurse tried to turn them away. He ignored all of them, raising his voice to Howard who was treating Steve. " You can't do that! Steve is – "

 

" I have already taken the serum's abilities, as well as Rogers' weight and age, into mind," Howard managed to answer him, frightfully emotionless and almost inhumanely above the mingled voices and general chaos of a medical tent. He didn't even turn around to face Bucky as he prepared to inject the medication.

 

But Stark hadn't considered Steve's age. If he was to give that much to Steve ...

 

With a desperate wheeze, Bucky shook himself free from Morita and Jones and bodily flung himself at Howard. To his credit, Howard jumped back in alarm, the needle filled with medication dangling precociously in his hand.

 

Howard and Dugan swore simultaneously. The nurses stood there, dumbstruck. Falsworth beat them all by grabbing Bucky by the shoulders and might have throttled him if he wasn't too busy cursing. " Have you lost your mind, Barnes?! He will die!" he bellowed over Steve's choked gasps.

 

But Steve would die if Howard unknowingly injected that much medication in his body, serum or no serum. He would rather have Steve hate him for the rest of his life for telling his secret than to let him waste away on this table in this godforsaken land.

 

" You can't give him that much. He's – he's only sixteen," Bucky croaked out.

 

The only thing heard was the semi-conscious Steve struggling to breathe. Finally Howard spoke.

 

" I'll ... make sure to lower the dose," he said. This time, there was a slight tremble in his voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked the idea that Steve was actually a lot younger than what he claimed, making him essentially a minor fighting in World War II, which has some truth to it since there were reports of many young boys lying about their age to go into the army during World War I and II. Not to mention, this was just an excuse to write Overprotective!Team over their young leader. I did some research and I have found there are certain medications that are different between teenagers and adults, though there isn't that many.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Colonel Phillips called Steve into his office, the rumors had spread and mutated into Captain America being thirteen years old and the serum had physically aged him into the twenty-three year old they currently saw.

 

Now Phillips didn't like rumors. And despite the fact that Steve had only recovered one night ago from his injuries, still pale and bandages around his neck, Phillips wanted the truth right now.

 

" So I've been hearing of some rumors floating around," he started. The only emotion Steve showed was that his shoulders stiffened slightly and he met Phillips squarely in the eye without displaying any of his racing emotions. " I'll be frank, Rogers. How old are you?"

 

He hesitated a second. " Sixteen."

 

At least that was marginally better than having a thirteen year old child soldier. But not by much. Phillips could feel a headache coming already. " I hope you know how much heat you're bringing down on our heads," he shot out.

 

Steve lowered his head. " I understand, sir. I'll pack up my things and quietly leave," he replied gravely.

 

Phillips thought of the wildly rolling snowball of a mess they were in. The unbidden thought of snarling waves of reporters and senators fighting to consume Steve alive while coming after the rest of them was not pleasant. None of them would survive the ambush and the army and the American people would be demoralized, leaving them weak and helpless from whatever else Red Skull and the Nazis threw at them.

 

Hearing this was not what they needed. What they needed was Captain America.

 

" Who else knows about this?" Phillips abruptly asked.

 

" Before, it was just Bucky. Now Stark, his nurses and my team knows."

 

The Howling Commandos were inexplicably faithful and loyal to Rogers, he mused to himself. They would not care for Roger's age and would gladly walk through hell and beyond with their captain. And Stark was growing a fondness for the kid. (he thought about every time he or another had referred to Steve as such and he grimaced as if he tasted something bitter) Not even he or his nurses would want to deal with the catastrophe or the attention that the government would inevitably bring down.

 

It was unethical and dishonest of him, now that he knew Roger's age. But he had already made his mind the moment Rogers had walked into his office and he wouldn't turn tail and run once he stuck to a decision. Steve was willing to fight for his country, age be damned if that was going to stop him from enlisting. And he had already proven himself in the rescue of his fellow soldiers from the heavily guarded HYDRA base and ending up accomplishing more than any thirteen, sixteen, twenty-three or fifty year old could. Phillips admitted he was being a coward but it wasn't only his skin he was trying to save and they were all too far in to stop it now. And should this detail came out after the war, he would gladly face the consequences then.

 

" Let's keep it that way," he brusquely said, his curtness about the matter made Steve's head snap up in surprise.

 

" Sir?"

 

" I said, let's keep it that way." Phillips throw an irritable glare at him. " Do I make myself clear?"

 

Steve immediately straightened to a salute. " Yes, sir. And thank you, sir," he added with a ridiculously youthful smile that made him appear the age he was suppose to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to write this in the form of drabbles/one-shots as a bit of a new format of writing. And half the time I see Colonel Phillips as something of a third father to Steve, the first one being Steve's biological father and the second one being Doctor Erksine who sadly didn't live long. It's a little headcanon of mine that Steve wanted the approval of the gruff and stern Phillips who had earlier showed mockery and disregard towards him, though a gradual respect for Steve developed throughout the film.


	3. Chapter 3

Howard felt sick.

 

They did experiments on a teenaged kid, just to see how his enhanced body would react under certain conditions. They poked, prodded and studied him as if he wasn't even human. And Steve quietly took it without a single compliant.

 

He should have told them. He didn't deserve to be experimented on and tested like a common lab rat.

 

If nothing else, Steve was an obedient soldier, through and through, Howard thought bitterly.

 

" _Disappointing that the subject only lasted five days without food," the scientist said, his voice impassive as he watched Steve hunched in a feral position, face gaunt and thin, looking half-dead already. " And the subject only survived one and a half days before crumbling to the effects of dehydration."_

 

" _His metabolism was an unlikely factor that sped up the breakdown of his muscles and organs," another added, taking a note on their clipboard._

 

Colonel Phillips, Agent Carter and the rest of the army were not aware of these tests, having been too busy in Europe. It was approved by the government and they hired scientists to see what the super soldier was capable of. They would pull Steve out from his USO tours once a month or two and do the experiments then.

 

A part of Howard tried to console him that he wasn't there, he didn't take part in it, that he didn't do this to a kid. But he knew. He knew what the government and the scientists were doing to Steve. He knew and didn't say a word, believing it was for science, the greater good and that Steve was being treated humanely. It made him just as guilty as if he had slid the needle home.

 

_The scientist inspected the glistening wires, soaked in red, red blood, intertwining between Steve's hands with interest. "Remarkable," he exclaimed, ignoring Steve's muffled sobs. " His body is attempting to heal around the foreign matter, as if trying to force the wires out. You can see the tissue and skin almost aligning itself back to proper form if not for the wires."_

 

" _His body reacted the same with the bullet and needles," someone else piped up._

 

_He nodded. " Take these wires out and let's try with the knife on his right leg this time."_

 

Erskine must have not known about Steve's age; otherwise he would have chosen Steve in the first place. In some way, Howard was glad that Erskine did not live to hear about Steve's age. The shock of performing the experiment that could potentially kill an adult on a minor would have devastated the man and should he find out what they were doing to the boy he was slowly considering to be a son, he would be turning over in his grave.

 

But when Howard inspected the document of the serum program, he realized that Steve's signature was different than his usual script. His was more curved and steady, like an artist. The signature that claimed to be Steve's was loopy and light.

 

" _I'm fine," Steve said, despite the hollowness of his cheeks and dark circles under his eyes indicated. He was smiling, or trying to smile and Howard tried to say something but couldn't get his voice out. " I can do this all day."_

 

He rubbed his temples, feeling an impending headache threatening to split his skull. He needed a freaking drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was inspired by "The Scientific Method" by Hakaisha where Howard had to perform these experiments on Steve to find out the capabilities of the super serum. In that story, Howard was very humane and careful with Steve. But I wonder what would happen if Howard wasn't the one doing those experiments and someone less careful and kind was doing them. Especially if Steve was a minor as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Peggy was suspicious and rightfully so. There had been some changes around the base and she wondered if it had to do with the rumours that Colonel Phillips firmly put an end to. Still, something must have initiated those rumours in the first place and now, they had planted a seed of doubt in her.

 

There was a certain softness, as minimal as it was, whenever Colonel Phillips talked to Steve, almost like a strict father speaking to his rebellious son. Even Howard was shown to be less callous around Steve. Occasionally she caught a guilt-ridden expression on his face when he watched Steve from afar. The question of _why_ lingered empty in the air.

 

Little details began to appear as she closely observed Steve. There was a startling childlike quality about him, his naivety and innocence that she had assumed came to be due to his childhood and upbringing. While Steve was among the younger members of the Howling Commandos, everyone on the team treated him like a younger brother. She had seen them become fiercely overprotective over their leader, from threatening bodily harm to government officials who insulted Steve to flying into a berserk rage when Steve was surrounded and trapped due to a clever scheme by the HYDRA soldiers.

 

Then, there was Steve never going into bars or touching a sip of alcohol, claiming because of the serum, he couldn't get drunk. But the rest of the Howling Commandos often went as a social gathering and Steve would never go with them and they never insisted.

 

So she began to do some research on her own. It took patience, plenty cups of coffee for late nights, and long weeks of waiting, waiting, but the result was two papers: a birth certificate and an orphanage registration form.

 

Nothing could have prepared her to realize that Steve Rogers was sixteen years old.

 

It amazed her how she couldn't have realized it sooner. The evidence was there, as subtle and obscure as it was. It explained the overprotectiveness that the Howling Commandos and the newfound kindness Stark never developed for others. Steve was only a child in their eyes and he was, by all means.

 

Now that added to the growing complexity of emotions Peggy associated with Steve. There were feelings for him, that much she would admit.

 

He was everything she could want in a guy. He was kind, humble and noble. He never looked down on her because of profession, even sympathizing with the mockery she dealt with due to his previous small, mousy stature. For the longest time, he was the one of the very few people who made her feel comfortable in her own skin and that she didn't need to hide behind a variety of masks when she was around him.

 

If he had only been a few years older, things between them might have worked out a lot differently.

 

So she ignored Steve and squashed any feelings she would have had. It was cold and brutal but it was the only way to keep him safe. No one else needed to know his age. No one else needed to find out the way she did. So, she remained silent and hid away the evidence and all traces of her investigation.

 

Anytime he tried to approach her, to talk to her, she brusquely turned him down and said she was busy, she had work to do. More than once, she caught him watching her with a soft longing and she chose to leave the room. A few soldiers and staff teased her about it, saying she was playing hard to get. The secretaries and other female agents sighed and gushed how lucky she was that Captain America was sweet on her and that she should be more easier on him.

 

It would be easy to give in to Steve's open affections. Easy to pretend he was twenty-three instead of sixteen. Easy to pretend that she never found out about the birth certificate. Easy to let herself pull him in close and claim his lips for her own.

 

But it would be wrong, wrong, wrong and she would never forgive herself if she did.

 

Still, Peggy knew Steve wouldn't be sixteen forever. In due time, he would no longer be a child but a man. If his love for her could hold. If she still felt the same. If it was meant to be. Only then would she allow herself to surrender to her feelings.

 

After all, she could afford to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Peggy and Steve together. She is such a strong and capable woman of her time that I can't help but admire her. Now with Steve's age, I was curious to see how it would affect the nature of their relationship. I did find it a bit hard to write from this particular perspective of someone in love with a younger person who was under the age of consent and I tried my best to deal with the issue accordingly.


	5. Chapter 5

It all happened so fast that none of them were quite sure what had happened.

 

There had been some scientists who visited the base for some government purpose and spoke with Colonel Phillips, asking if they could borrow Howard Stark and Captain America for a few days. Suspicious yet pragmatic, Phillips told them to that Steve was out on a mission and Stark had gone with them.

 

To his dissatisfaction, the scientists remained at the base, keeping themselves occupied, staying out of their way. There was no reason other than his skepticism to turn them out so Phillips had to contend himself with their presence.

 

After two weeks, Steve's team returned. They had been laughing and joking after the successful destruction and foiling of one of HYDRA's bases, along with freeing many villages and towns under HYDRA's oppressive rule. Howard had an arm casually flung around Steve's shoulders as he teased the latter about an embarrassing incident with a stray dog, a chair and one of Stark's inventions that caused the rest of the Howling Commandos to roar with amusement. Their laughter died fast when the scientists approached their group.

 

“ Ahh, Stark. Captain America. We are pleased to see you again,” one of the scientists said with a small smile.

 

A look of wariness – was that fear? – flashed across Steve's face. Howard tightened his grip on Steve's shoulder as if the act alone was enough to shield Steve from them. “ What do you want?” he coolly asked.

 

“ We agreed that after a two month respite, we would resume our activities.”

 

Had it really been two months since Steve had rescued the captured soldiers from HYDRA and truly became Captain America?

 

Bucky narrowed his eyes. “ What activities? Steve, what are they talking about?”

 

“ It's fine. I worked with them before,” Steve explained quietly. He turned to the scientists, face set in impassive stoicism. It was the look they knew well, when Steve prepared himself to head into the battlefield, readying himself for the possibility of meeting death. “ I'm ready to go.”

 

“ No.” The word was out of Howard's mouth before he could stop it. Steve and the scientists looked at him with a mixture of confusion, surprise and incredulity. “ He isn't going anywhere.”

 

“ You don't have the authority to decide where Captain America is needed, Mr Stark,” a scientist began once he regained his composure.

 

“ I agree,” Bucky loudly interrupted. “ Steve doesn't have to go with you.”

 

“ Mr Barnes, this does not concern –”

 

“ Steve is my captain. Of course this concerns me.”

 

Having heard their escalating voices, Peggy smoothly joined in next to Bucky, perfectly positioned between the scientists and Steve. “ Is there a problem here?” she mildly asked, showing nothing but strict professionalism.

 

Clenching his jaw in repressed frustration, one scientist met her stare. “ I would like to speak with Colonel Phillips,” he demanded. “ Perhaps he would show more sensibility and respect than his soldiers.”

 

Dernier and Jones let out a low snarl at his insulting tone. “ You need to earn that respect first,” Dugan coldly said.

 

Steve quickly stepped in before things got worse. “ It's all right.” He raised his hands as a sign of peace for all sides. “ I don't mind going with them. Really,” he earnestly added at Bucky's disbelieving look. He gave them a half-hearted smile. “ I'll be back soon. Don't worry about it.”

 

He was smiling but it was unmistakable to those that knew Steve that it didn't reach his eyes. Deep in his eyes, there was a hidden surrender, a hidden submission. As if he had resigned himself to let the scientists take him away and do whatever they damn well wanted to do to him.

 

And Steve would have taken the first step towards them if Colonel Phillips hadn't appeared and brusquely pushed Steve back, towards Howard and Bucky where he was safely cocooned between the protective circle of his team.

 

“ Sorry to cut this conversation short but Captain America is needed for another mission,” Phillips announced, lying as easily as he breathed. “ So unless you have further business here.” His demanding posture nearly blocked Steve from view, cutting off Steve's feeble protest. “ I suggest you leave.”

 

The head scientist drew himself up, refusing to back down without a fight. “ We have the written contracts and signatures,” he pointed out. “ Stark, you agreed to work with us. And Captain America to our agenda.”

 

“ Then I quit,” Howard smugly said.

 

“ Captain America however –”

 

“ Is needed by the army,” Peggy evenly interjected. “ Which I think is more important for him to be here than with you.”

 

Eyes narrowed, the scientist grew more agitated like a trapped rat on a sinking ship. “ He belongs to us!” he snarled out.

 

– a hand shot out and went for its prize, nearly reaching out and plucking Steve from his nest –

 

When another hand slammed down and gripped the scientist's wrist in a bone-crushing hold. “ Don't touch him.” Colonel Phillips' voice was colder than the Alps themselves.

 

Howard protectively flung out an arm as if to shield Steve and there was an anger in his face that none had seen before. “ Stay away from him,” he snapped.

 

Bucky had also stepped forward the second he saw the scientist make his move. He had no idea what these men wanted with Steve but hell would freeze over before he let them get Steve. “ Want to have a go?” he dared. Beside him, Morita and Falsworth cracked their knuckles eagerly.

 

The scientist gave a strangled whimper while the others stood gaping like fish. “ When the senator finds out about this!” he warbled.

 

Someone opened his mouth to argue, if not for Peggy effortlessly cutting over him. “ Would you mind escorting these gentlemen out?” she asked the Howling Commandos.

 

“ With pleasure,” they grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out a little longer than I originally thought. I kept having the imagery of Steve being surrounded by his protective team and colleagues, almost like a pack of wolves guarding their young when writing this. It almost seems funny to imagine Captain America needing protection. But even the invincible need some help once in a while.


	6. Chapter 6

“ This is foolish, Cap,” Dugan was shaking his head.

 

Steve didn't even look up from cleaning his shield. Even now, Morita admired its glossy hue that never faded battle after battle. “ It's the best plan we got.”

 

It was the only plan they've got and it was terrible, in their opinion. “ I got a bad feeling about this,” Jones frowned. “ Don't like leaving you on your own like this.”

 

He shrugged, carefully putting the polish away. “ I've worked solo before,” he pointed out. After all, Captain America was worth ten men and certainly just as much as all of them put together. But that wasn't what worried the Howling Commandos.

 

Since losing Bucky, Steve had not been the same. His eyes were frightfully empty and devoid of emotion and he wandered aimlessly around the base like a ghost. They all tried to talk to him and console him. But the efforts had minimal effect and it wasn't until Colonel Phillips announced their plan to invade the main HYDRA base did they see some life return to Steve.

 

It seemed reckless that Steve was more than willing to storm the main HYDRA base and get Red Skull on his own while the rest of the team stayed behind. They all saw that drive for revenge when he volunteered to go, to go after the man responsible for his best friend's death.

 

They feared they would lose their leader too.

 

“ What if we don't find you on time?” Falsworth finally said.

 

This time, Steve looked up. “ You'll find me.” He gave a little chuckle. “ Since when did you guys ever let me down?”

 

But no, it wasn't really about finding Steve on time. It was about what the Red Skull and his minions would do to Steve during the time they weren't there to look over their captain. They knew what Red Skull would love to do if he ever got his hands on his mortal enemy. And it would be much worse than what they endured in the camps.

 

Steve was still too young to fully comprehend what would happen to him, what had happened to them. They had seen young men like him broken after Red Skull and his scientists got a hold of them. Even Bucky was not immune and sometimes at night, he would wake up screaming, only to quickly clamp his mouth shut if Steve hurried over to his side. He would lie, pretending his nightmares weren't as bad as they really were. All of them had nightmares like Bucky. They just hid their nightmares much better than him.

 

If the same thing happened to Steve ...

 

They couldn't imagine his eyes becoming dead and lost after enduring the unspeakable. Or hearing his voice, shaky and hoarse as if screaming for hours. Or seeing him flinch at any physical contact because of what Red Skull did to him.

 

“ Captain,” Dernier began, as a last attempt to persuade him otherwise.

 

But Steve flashed one of his smiles, the kind that made them hate themselves for depending on and placing so much faith on a kid that was half their age. The kind that made them wished they never knew his age in the first place. “ Trust me,” he said confidently.

 

Then why did they feel they were never going to him again after this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know many people are wondering if the Avengers will be appearing and yes, they will be, starting the next chapter. This is the last chapter concerning the events of Captain America: The First Avenger.


	7. Chapter 7

Steve hastily fumbled a salute as he clumsily stood up as Fury and another man entered his room, the room he had earlier trashed in his attempt to escape what he thought was a HYDRA base.“ Sir,” he respectfully said.

 

“ At ease, soldier. How are you holding up?” Fury looked at him kindly, much like an uncle surveying his long-lost nephew.

 

He almost wanted to lie, say he was fine, that he was adjusting, that he was in full control of the situation. Instead, he gave a shrug, as impolite as it was.

 

Fury seemed to understand so he went straight to why he came. “ I know this may seem like an inopportune moment to ask, but we need to clarify something with you.”

 

Steve gave a little nod, letting him continue. “ We dug up old reports, records and whatever else we could get our hands on once we realized you were waking up. For one, there's your birth certificate. July 4th, 1926. Your registration at the Brooklyn orphanage was at April 16, 1929 after the premature death of Sarah Rogers. Whereas, all five of your army enlistments has your birth date as July 4th, 1918.”

 

Fury paused, letting the silence visibly settle in. Steve slowly exhaled, as if relieved in some way that his secret was out. He was tired of all the lies and at this point, he simply didn't care anymore. “ Then everyone knows,” he sighed.

 

“ There are only three people alive that know about your secret and they are all currently in this room.” Fury's one eye studied him intensely. “ I suggest we keep it that way for now.”

 

Steve was explicitly reminded of Colonel Phillips and he quickly squashed that memory because it was too painful to think that his commanding officer was long dead and buried somewhere in the ground. “ I understand, sir.”

 

“ Things are different in the present time, as you have noticed. Since you are underage, you will need a legal guardian. Agent Coulson has volunteered to be your legal guardian, until you become of age which is twenty-one years old.” The solemn man who had been standing behind Fury gave a little nod of confirmation. “ However, when you turn eighteen, you are able to vote and are the age to consent.”

 

“ Age of consent, sir?” Steve frowned in confusion.

 

“ All in good time. I think you have enough to take in for today. Is there anything else you need?”

 

Steve shook his head. The fact he was not court-marshaled or punished for lying on federal documents was still barely being registered by his brain. Fury understood and was gone through the door with a swish of his jacket.

 

“ I have a question, if you don't mind.” Steve had forgotten all about Agent Coulson. He looked at the man who appeared to be both nervous and excited. “ Before you stormed the HYDRA base and rescued the four hundred and twenty-eight soldiers there, it was reported that you were twenty-two at the time. What was your actual age?”

 

He blinked, slightly taken back by the question before giving a little laugh. It seemed strange that now that government officials had found out his secret, they weren't condemning him and throwing him into jail like he had imagined. How he wished Bucky and the others could have witnessed this. “ I turned sixteen two months earlier,” he said, amused by his own words and just how young and foolish he really was.

 

The admiration in Coulson's eyes could have shamed the sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now onto the Avengers! After seeing an adorable scan of Nick Fury holding a certain young teenager's hand while escorting him around, my headcanon grew into Fury saving his softer side for children which now includes Steve in this story. Steve is just a magnet for father/older brother figures, isn't he?


	8. Chapter 8

If someone had told Coulson a few months ago that he would be the legal guardian of a sixteen-year-old Captain America, he would have told them in very polite terms to stop drinking and leave him alone in peace.

 

It was strange (and oh so very exhilarating) to be named the guardian of his childhood hero. Half the time, he wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

 

Captain America was everything he had heard about it since his grandfather spoiled him with stories of the leader of the Howling Commandos from his childhood that lasted well until now.

 

Now that Fury was gracious enough to let him in on the little secret that Captain America was actually sixteen years old, Coulson found that he never admired Steve more. All his heroics and successes that men twice his age could hardly perform suddenly became even more impressive.

 

Then once the euphoria left, he was left realizing how frightfully _young_ Steve was. He wasn't even old enough to drive when he enlisted, already risking his life for his country without demanding a single thing back. He probably never even got a chance to dance with a girl before he first shot someone dead. Or watched someone – including his best friend – die in front of him.

 

Steve Rogers – decorated captain, super soldier, war hero – was all but a boy.

 

It made Coulson crushing his repeated requests to leave the SHIELD-secured building to explore the new world so much more harder.

 

“ It's for your own protection,” he said and his voice sounded awfully pathetic in his ears, even if he was following Fury's orders. That the outside world could and would harm Steve and it would do none of them any good if it happened. Better to ease him slowly into the twenty-first century than let him be bombarded with the sheer amount of information overload and culture shock. Each time Steve looked a little more forlorn, though he would sigh and comply to the orders of his legal guardian.

 

Which surprised Coulson when after sixteen days, Steve somehow managed to escape from the premises.

 

Coulson arrived at Steve's room, breakfast in tray, ready to accompany the super soldier to his daily practice at the training room (even though they all saw how easily Steve completed the rounds with record time) when he found the room empty with only a note left behind.

 

Lips pressed tightly, Coulson stalked over to the surveillance room, breakfast tray forgotten in his hands. “ Find Captain America,” he tersely said to one of the agents who looked rather alarmed that Agent Coulson was using _that_ tone of voice on him.

 

A good fifteen minutes later after reviewing the hidden cameras, they located Steve at the furthermost exit near the fire escape. Even through the grainy image, Coulson could see that Steve gave a little apologetic smile before he waved once directly at the nearest camera and disappeared through the window.

 

Two weeks was all that was needed to help Steve to locate every camera (and even the hidden ones between the cracks and crevices of the walls, windows and ceilings had a tricky time following his darting, uneven movements) and to slip past the every single one of them.

 

Part of Coulson was impressed. No one in ten and a half years had managed to escape unnoticed under the watchful eye of his installed security. Another part wanted to gush and rant about how amazing and expected that there was no room, no building, no place that could hope to contain Captain America if he put his mind to leave.

 

And finally, one part of him wanted nothing more than to give the teenager a stern lecture and ground him for a solid week.

 

Three hours later, Steve marched through the front entrance, looking neither smug or defiant but happier than any of them had seen him.

 

Coulson was waiting for him and was crossing his arms and arranging his face into the best scowl he could do. “ I hope you understand the trouble you've put us through,” he calmly informed the individual who was his hero and would remain his hero for the rest of his life.

 

Steve at least had the decency to look guilty. “ I am prepared for any disciplinary action,” he humbly said.

 

But even as Coulson cast an eye on him, it was clear to see that Steve's eyes were brightened from the fresh air, most likely from having a good run over the city (or from saving cats from trees for little elderly ladies). There was a tiny stain of ketchup and mustard at the corner of his mouth. His crisp white shirt was smudged and the bottom of his pants had some grass and dirt strains. His cheeks, previously drawn and worn from the little appetite he had, now looked a little more fuller and tinted pink with life.

 

In other words, he looked less like Captain America and more of a kid his age.

 

Torn between wanting to beam proudly and wanting to throttle Steve for making him worry, Coulson sighed. “ You and I are going to see Director Fury to see if we can let you have more – coordinated trips out,” he finally said. “ As long as you never pull a stunt like that again.”

 

Steve's eyes widened in surprise and ultimately ended in delight and the smile that came forth was simply dazzling. “ I understand, sir.”

 

Though Coulson wryly noted he didn't promise anything about breaking any more rules. _Teenagers_ , he mused in blissful reminiscence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I simply adore Coulson and I wish we could have seen more interaction between him and Steve. With the way Coulson was scolding Tony in Iron Man 2, I could imagine him doing the same with Steve.


	9. Chapter 9

It wasn't every day that they saw Captain America go into convulsions and went into seizures when he should have been on a quicker road to recovering from the poison.

 

Bruce was frayed to the edges, guilt-ridden and torn, since he was the one who administered his hastily-made antidote during their ride back to the helicarrier after they all had inhaled some dangerous chemicals meant to threaten the world and then watched in horror as minutes later, Steve's body began to jerk and twitch like a puppet without its strings. He sat, staring blankly at the unconscious Steve. They could have sworn that blurs of green were shimmering across his eyes.

 

The others knew he wasn't at fault. Natasha and Tony knew there was no medication error on Bruce's part. They had watched him make medications that saved their lives before and administer drugs into their system before and not once had he ever made a mistake, even under the most stressful circumstances that nearly caused the Other Guy to explode in tremors of fury.

 

So Clint demanded to no one in particular: how did that happen? The rest of them had been fine once they were given the antidote and were able to breath properly again. But not Steve.

 

SHIELD's doctors ran tests and like them, they were wondering why. None of them would find out until Steve woke up later that evening.

 

“ The good captain is awake!” Thor joyously exclaimed when he realized that Steve was slowly trying to sit up. Tony jerked out of his doze and was at Steve's side immediately. So was Natasha, Clint and Bruce who had emerged from their chairs, sleep gone from their eyes.

 

“ How are you feeling?” Natasha promptly asked.

 

“ Sore,” Steve mumbled. He was shaking, movements still jerky as if the seizures had not left his body completely. “ What ... happened?”

 

Bruce sighed, looking weary. “ I administered the antidote to you but your body responded negatively and you had seizures afterwards. We ran tests and we are not sure why that happened. The antidote worked fine for everyone else. I had taken your serum into effect and it wouldn't have affected your healing abilities or your metabolism. I must have overlooked something.”

 

A flash of guilt went across Steve's drawn face. He sucked in a breath, seemingly at war with himself before finally speaking hoarsely. “ Bruce ... not fault. It was ... mine,” he rasped.

 

Thor laid a hand on his shoulder gently. “ This was no fault of yours or any other but the madman who did this, my friend,” he said soothingly. “ Rest for now.”

 

But Steve was shaking his head. Sweat plastered his pale face and his lips parted with difficulty to speak. “ No ... my fault,” he said in two struggling breaths. “ Should have ... told you ... the truth ...”

 

“ What are you –?” Clint started, but Natasha laid a hand on his arm to quiet him. Steve continued as if there was no interruption.

 

“ Not twenty-three ... I'm ... I'm ...” He looked as if he had ran out of breath, coughing and wheezing. Thor at once was at his side, steadying him. Gritting his teeth, Steve looked like he was in a very battle against his body, to breath in and breath out, to force his trembling body to bend to his will.

 

“ ... I'm ... sixteen ...” he managed to gasp out.

 

There was a stunned pause. “ Did I hear that correctly?” Tony finally said. “ You're a minor? A teenager? A juvenile? You legally can't drink or vote or buy cigarettes? You're telling me that the chick putting the moves on you the other night could be arrested because you're jail bait?” He let out an undignified snort with Natasha shooting a glare at him.

 

Despite the seriousness of the matter, Clint chuckled a little too, hastily changing his expression back into a solemn facade when Natasha turned on him too.

 

“ I don't understand. I do not recall that Steve was baiting that woman,” Thor frowned in confusion. “ She was the one who I believe was baiting Steve.”

 

Bruce cleared his throat, directly the conversation back on track. “ Why didn't you tell us?” he asked, as if he was a father sternly lecturing his son.

 

Steve averted his eyes. “ ... Ashamed,” he muttered. “ Lied ... to everyone ... everything about me ... is a lie ... understand if ... want me to leave team ...”

 

“ Why would we do that?” Thor exclaimed in alarm. “ You should be proud! To be so young of a warrior and yet to accomplish as much as you have done, it warrants praise and respect, not condemnation.”

 

“ Things are different here on Earth,” Bruce explained, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “ The military requires their men to be eighteen years old when they enlist. There would be an uproar if word got out that Steve was underage when he enlisted. He wouldn't be able to do a lot of things if he was an adult. And since he is underage, he will need a legal guardian, which SHIELD has most likely already provided or otherwise, they wouldn't let him on the field.”

 

Thor was still frowning, trying to wrap his mind around this new information. “ You still should have told us,” Natasha disapprovingly said, sounding awfully like an older sister.

 

Steve ducked his head like a naughty child caught. “ Sorry,” he mumbled.

 

“ How did you manage all these years without anyone finding out?” Clint frowned. “ Wouldn't someone find out?”

 

He would have honestly answered that there were some who knew but Tony interrupted with his apparent amusement over the entire situation. “ I bet you batted your pretty blue eyes and they all swooned over you and forgot whatever they were going to ask you,” he suggested.

 

Ever so bashful, Steve shook his head with a slight tinge of pink against his pale cheeks. “ Able ... to keep a secret,” he weakly shot back with a small smile.


	10. Chapter 10

Things went on as if they had never changed. The Avengers had their full trust and support of Steve remaining the leader. After all, if the presumed twenty-three year old Steve was able to bring them all together and keep them together, who were they to question and doubt his abilities any differently than having the sixteen-year-old Steve lead them?

 

Steve Rogers was still Captain America. That much did not change.

 

Still, changes were to be expected, though not entirely what they had anticipated. Instead, the changes were subtle and astonishing even to them.

 

It started when Clint, Bruce, Thor and Steve went out for dinner. Thankfully, it was easy for them to blend in with the common mass, compared to Tony who would have gladly soaked up the attention. Dinner was quiet and Bruce and Steve decided to leave once Thor and Clint started to have a drinking contest. Steve had gone to pay and Bruce was coming back from the washroom when he saw two girls hanging close to Steve.

 

" You must be new around here," one of them said and judging by how she's swaying and her speech was slurred, she must have been drunk.

 

" New guy has pretty eyes," her friend giggled. She was eyeing Steve carefully (and the way her eyes roamed all over Steve's body made Bruce immediately go on guard). " And he's built solid!"

 

For his part, Steve nervously smiled at them. " Thank you, ma'am. But I need to get going ... "

 

The first girl latched herself onto his arm. " Aww, baby. The night's just getting started."

 

" Why don't we buy mister American Hunk a drink?"

 

" No, it's all right." Steve was making feeble attempts to push the girl off his arm. His awkward smile remained frozen in place. " I don't drink."

 

" What a buzz kill," one girl whined.

 

" No Sex on the Beach to convince you otherwise?" the other playfully teased, making Steve's cheeks reddened since he had no idea she was talking about cocktails. But Bruce knew why she'd chosen that particular cocktail and the very thought of it made him clench his fists.

 

" It's – it's fine." Steve again tried to loosen the one girl's grip. " I – I have to go."

 

" They always play hard to get." The girl hanging on his arm pressed her entire body up against his arm. As Steve began to stammer, her friend slid next to him, purposely adjusting her shirt to reveal more cleavage and skin. " We'll make it worth your while."

 

That was the final straw. The Other Guy roared his disapproval and Bruce was already headed towards them to confront them when two wads of paper smacked the two girls firmly behind their heads.

 

They whirled around furiously. " What the hell?" one of them snapped. And the second they forgot about Steve, Bruce stepped in, quickly grabbing Steve's arm and pulling him out of the restaurant before the girls realized he was gone.

 

Outside, Steve breathed in relief. " Thank you."

 

The Other Guy was passive once more. " You should have pushed them off," Bruce sternly said. " Their actions were uncalled for."

 

He sheepishly smiled. " I never thought girls would be the one to ask the guys out," he sighed wistfully. Then again, Steve had a legendary apprehension when it came to girls, though he was slowly warming up more with Natasha.

 

Bruce clapped a hand to his shoulder. " Well, you know what to do next time." And Steve smiled gratefully at him.

 

" We ruining a moment here?"

 

They both nearly jumped. Only to see a cheery Clint and Thor, both with a bottle of beer in hand. " Weren't you two staying behind?" Steve asked suspiciously.

 

" We were, but a cat fight broke out between some girls," Clint shrugged nonchalantly. " The bartender kicked them out and we wanted to continue our contest somewhere in peace."

 

Steve would have asked more, but Thor interrupted, eagerly talking about a new shooting mechanism that Clint had taught him at the bar and began to enthusiastically show Steve how to make one so they could have a glorious battle later in the Tower.

 

Bruce fell slightly back to talk with Clint. " So it was you," he murmured.

 

Clint grinned. " I needed a new shooting buddy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The world always needs more Protective!Bruce. And it's remains in my headcanon that the Avengers are fiercely protective over Steve's chastity.


	11. Chapter 11

Thor had seen battles, soldiers dying, grisly wounds, the innocent screaming for help and the destruction of creatures and mystic races and their homes.

 

Some he merely watched, not lifting a finger to help.

 

Some of them he had taken part in, when he was too foolish to realize.

 

But the sight of Steve's mangled, broken fingers made him feel nauseated and stricken with rage and grief.

 

They had to infiltrate a base occupied by Baron Zemo, to stop him from setting off the bomb that would destroy half of North America. Steve, Tony and Natasha were sent in to disable it while Thor, Bruce and Clint distracted Zemo's forces. But something went wrong and the first team ended up being captured before back-up could reach them.

 

All of Steve's fingers on his right hand had been broken, caused by his tormentor as a method to make him or the others talk. Steve didn't talk and the tormentor didn't get far on Steve's left hand because Clint soon took him down with an arrow to the back.

 

It was not as if Thor hadn't seen Steve injured before. He had seen Steve injured several times and often, it was much worse than a few broken fingers. But now that he possessed the knowledge that Steve was only a child by his people's standards, it made him feel sick at heart. The rest of the Avengers were all children compared to him which would make Steve a mere infant by Thor's standards.

 

Just the idea that Baron Zemo and his men gleefully torturing Steve like that, even if they did not know his true age, angered Thor.

 

He razed the rest of the base in his wrath, joined by the Hulk. These men deserved pain and death for what they (unknowingly) did to a child. And worst of all, that child was Thor's friend.

 

But by the time his anger died down on the ride back to the helicarrier, there were other things to worry about. Naming, resetting Steve's fingers before they permanently stayed that way.

 

Bruce was unconscious after transforming back to himself, so Natasha climbed over next to Steve, taking his injured hand in her two slim hands rather gently for a woman who had recently snapped the necks of the guards holding her prisoner. " This will hurt," she warned. Her voice was calm but her eyes betrayed a flicker of concern.

 

" Do it, " Steve hissed.

 

There was a sickening crack and a muted cry from Steve.

 

Thor turned away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally find damage done to the hands very painful and mangled fingers, especially caused by torture, chilling. Thank you very much for all the reviews!


	12. Chapter 12

Nothing else tested their patience more than to realize that Steve had been kidnapped.

 

It had been pure luck that out of all the men the human traffickers could have taken in New York, they managed to pick Steve when he had been on his morning jog. Faked a flat wheel, called Steve over for help, took advantage of his kindness and when he was close by, snatched him up, drugged him unconscious and drove away.

 

They were continually misled by clues and thinking that Steve was captured because people wanted the serum or to extract revenge. As it would turn out after a long and anxious week, they found out that Steve was taken none other than the fact because he was young and handsome.

 

They had anticipated a kidnapping or two. They couldn't be one of the most wanted people in the world without warranting such attention. But when it actually happened and by no one who held a grudge against them, they were at a loss. Bruce and Tony with the aid of SHIELD scanned every computer, camera and piece of technology that could link them to Steve. Thor, Natasha and Clint prowled restlessly, itching for a fight. But this was no simple enemy they could easily find or destroy with violence and fists.

 

Natasha knew of missing children and she remembered the smiling faces of toddlers, children and teenagers on crinkled paper, too numerous to count. They knew now what it was like to be those heartbroken parents waiting, waiting for the call to either bring their child home or to never hear the call at all.

 

But as a relentless wave of fury settled in her bones, she was determined to not let Steve become one of those faceless names that disappeared and only ended up in memory.

 

That was how Natasha found herself infiltrating the main auction of the slavery ring in a remote area in France that had kidnapped Steve, pretending to be a wealthy buyer.

 

It was excruciating for the next three hours, as numbers of men, women and children were lined up and bid away like cattle. Natasha watched them being led away to their new masters, eyes dull and lifeless, memorizing their buyers' faces and names so she could have the pleasure of destroying their lives just as they had destroyed these children's lives.

 

" And now, ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on our last product of this auction," the announcer crowed out. Natasha instantly sat up straight and she knew so did the rest of the Avengers listening in. " He is the epitome of every American golden boy you could only dream of. With one look from his piercing blue eyes and Greek god physique, you'll be wanting to have him cater to your every need."

 

The crowds went wild, hooting and cheering, demanding that this slave be brought out immediately. A crack appeared on Natasha's glass of wine and from her earpiece, she heard Tony swearing under his breath. She could almost hear Clint gritting his teeth that Steve directed much unwanted attention and leering. Thor gave a low feral growl and she could have swore that the Hulk joined him.

 

" Now we must warn you," the announcer continued, letting his words sink in after a moment of a dramatic pause. " Subduing him was not easy. We assure you all that he will be restrained and heavily guarded and we advise you to let us handle him should he act out."

 

Everyone's whispers and excitement increased. What kind of creature was this, they eagerly murmured. What sort of being could be so untamed?

 

" Without further ado, we present to you, #407!" the announcer pleasantly bellowed as the curtains lifted and Steve was revealed.

 

He was half-naked, only wearing the jogging pants he had been wearing when he left for his morning run that morning. The crowd gasped appreciatively and whistled at his sturdy chest and rippling arms that heavy manacles chained him to the floor, forcing Steve into a position of servitude and defeat. An oxygen mask was tightly wounded around his face to keep sedative drugs pumping constantly throughout his body. His eyes were glassy and glazed over and bruises of needle punctures on both his arms showed the previous method failure of the sedatives. Six guards stood nearby, guns aimed to kill but it was clear to anyone watching that Steve was too drugged to make an escape.

 

" What a fascinating beast. Never seen one like it."

 

" How did they acquire such a lovely specimen?"

 

" Now I wish I didn't spend so much money on those three girls. He would make a fine addition to my collection."

 

" I _want_ him."

 

Their whispers and murmurs made their way to Natasha's ears and made her burn with anger. Something about the way they treated Steve as a creature and not even human made her desire nothing more than to hunt every single person here down and put a bullet between their eyes. It made her heart clenched that Steve, so strong and kind (and too young) was forced to endure this.

 

The announcer declared the beginning of the bidding and Natasha forced herself to sit politely and patiently as people began shouting their prices to claim their prize. The bid slowly increased more and more with the buyers either giving up or becoming more resolute. As the crack on her wine glass grew bigger and bigger, Natasha found her finger involuntarily twitching as if mimicking a trigger.

 

At last, a buyer was decided and a red haze enveloped her eyes as she coldly watched a bald and obese man saunter smugly up the stage to claim his prize. It made her sick to think what else this man would want with a helpless, drugged Steve.

 

Fury gave her the command and she was all too willing to follow the man as his bodyguards dragged Steve out, who obediently followed like a lamb being led to the slaughter. Clint, Tony and other SHIELD agents were already in place, while Bruce and Thor waited on the invisible quinjet as backup. No need to bring out the Hulk and the demigod in this atmosphere. No need to have the world find out that Captain America had been unwittingly kidnapped by these lowly people and the Avengers were involved. SHIELD was unknown to all but a few individuals and Ironman did whatever he felt like anyways.

 

" Got 'em in sight," Tony breathed in her earpiece.

 

" Mind the casualties," Fury reminded grimly.

 

" They're heading towards the east end," Clint reported tensely.

 

" Get Cap," someone told Natasha but she wasn't sure who.

 

They moved into action and soon, chaos descended.

 

Multiple buyers went down and their newly bought slaves could only stare in shock. People were screaming and running and panicking with SHIELD agents weaving between the crowds, but her eyes were on Steve standing absently like an easy target in the middle of it all.

 

His buyer was shouting pathetically behind his bodyguards who all fell prey to Ironman, shrieking and stamping his feet. He didn't even realize that Clint had fired an arrow near where he stood and a puff of tranquilizers knocked him and the rest of his bodyguards before they knew it.

 

Delivering a quick kick to a guard foolish enough to try to stop her, Natasha reached Steve, seizing him and bringing him to the ground to shield him from the reigning pandemonium above. She tore off the oxygen mask from his face that muzzled him like a dog and threw it away in disgust.

 

" Cap? Steve?" Natasha breathed. Steve hardly reacted, only blinking dully at her, every movement sluggish and slow. The emptiness in his normally clear, expressive eyes frightened her more than she would have liked.

 

Someone or everyone was calling for her in her earpiece, asking where was Steve, was he all right, where was she. She ignored everyone else and instead, cupped Steve's face, directing his attention towards her. " You're safe now," she firmly told him because _it's all right it's all right they won't hurt you again i have you you're going to be all right._

 

He gazed dully at her and a spark of recognition raced across his features before he sighed in relief and rested his head on her shoulder.

 

_I knew you would come._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being a bit bigger than expected. But it was all for the sake of a kidnapped Steve and a fiercely protective Natasha. Hope you enjoy this!


	13. Chapter 13

" I feel stupid," Steve hoarsely said as he shivered under piles of thick blankets.

 

" Could have been worse."

 

And Tony wasn't even being sarcastic. If having the flu was his body's response to a bio-terrorism gas that had been let loose in Central Park, Tony would have gladly taken the flu anytime.

 

It was clever to choose an area where hundreds of people walk by, not realizing they inhaled the deadly gas until they collapsed in jerky seizures. The terrorists would be cheering and celebrating if they knew they happen to unknowingly infect Captain America on his morning run through the park.

 

Steve was spared from the more gruesome and devastating effects of the gas due to the serum. Others, not so much. Within hours, the victims went into horrific spasms and frightening hallucinations, before their bodies eventually gave up from the overwhelming fever and they died in writhing agony.

 

The hardest part at least was passing. The Avengers found the terrorists' hideout and Natasha found the basis of the ingredients that made the gas so SHIELD scientists, with the ever helpful assistance of Bruce and Tony, were working hard to create an antidote.

 

Until then, hundreds of people in New York continued to grow sick and Steve continued to throw up any fluids they managed to put in him.

 

" I should be out there helping," Steve groaned after one harsh session with the garbage bin.

 

It sounded awfully pathetic to hear Captain America say that when he couldn't muster enough strength to sit up in bed without help. Tony resisted the urge to roll his eyes. " Relax, Captain Underpants. The situation is winding down. We caught the bad guys and Bruce is working on the antidote."

 

Steve sighed and shifted restlessly underneath his blankets. Tony admitted he wasn't the greatest bedside person, constantly fidgeting and itching to do something rather than sit around, but Bruce's cautions that one of them need to remain vigilant in case Steve's condition changed for the worst had made all of them nervous and worried.

 

They nearly had a fit when they found Steve sprawled weakly on the couch with a climbing fever and retching violently. The serum should have taken care of normal maladies and then reports of bio-terrorism started popping up.

 

Seeing Steve pale, shivering and utterly helpless was something none of them wished to see again.

 

" Go back to sleep, Cap," Tony said. " We got things under control."

 

" And what happens when things get out of control?" Steve mumbled, eyes already drooping as he drifted off to sleep.

 

Tony flashed a grin, the first one since Steve had gotten sick. " We got you for that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We need more Sick!Steve stories out there.


	14. Chapter 14

It didn't occur to Clint until their latest mission had him and Steve fighting together in the same room. It was a rare occasion where Clint had to leave his perch and Steve ended up fighting beside him.

 

Soldiers rushing against them from all sides, deadly and unwavering. A Doctor Dupuis screaming at the soldiers to kill them. Steve's shield whistling through the air. Clint dodging and ducking against a knife to reach his dropped bow. It was over in minutes with Steve and Clint standing over the whimpering Dupuis.

 

" _Dupuis is not to leave alive," Fury told him and Natasha when the others – especially Steve – were out of earshot. " His work with AIM makes him a liability. Make it clean. No traces."_

 

Clint's fingers instinctively twitched on his bow and his other hand reached for an arrow. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Steve glancing at him, perhaps a little confused and suspicious why he was so tense against one unarmed man.

 

" Cap, I think I hear a few goons still outside," he heard himself say. " You wouldn't mind taking care of them, would you?"

 

Steve believed his words so easily and so trusting. With a curt nod, he was on his way. And the second he had left the room, Clint released the breath he had been holding, as well as his arrow.

 

It shouldn't have bothered him. He had done this several times before. And Steve had seen men die before, even killed some during the war. Why should this be any different?

 

In some ways, Clint was sheltered from the ugly truth of life when he was young, due to the efforts of his brother Barney. When things got bad in the circus or when some circus folk did things that no child should ever have to witness, Barney covered his eyes and made him cover his ears, to shield him from the horrors that he was too young to see or hear.

 

But eventually, once Barney was no longer there to watch over him, Clint soon became accustomed and desensitized to the violence, gore and sex. And becoming an agent of SHIELD at a young age didn't help matters.

 

Yet, a lingering shred of his past must have remained because Clint never suspected it to rear its head when it came to Steve.

 

It was foolish of him. Steve had seen and done things, some worse than this, during the war. He remembered reading in one of the reports that the Howling Commandos had stumbled upon a concentration camp and took out their anger on the guards. Or that time where a bloody clash with HYDRA led to a tough call on Steve's part to use another squad as distraction to allow them to gain the upper hand.

 

Steve was not a child, something Steve himself had often repeated, both in exasperation and resignation.

 

But even as Clint rejoined Steve outside, waving aside Steve's questioning look with a casual shrug, he knew that if he could continue to protect Steve a little bit longer from people like him – and if he was being selfish about it, he freely admitted it – he would do so.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked to wonder about the moral ambiguity that Clint and Natasha must have done as assassins and how it could have affected them working with a moral character like Steve. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it was brought up and it was interesting to note that Steve himself admitted that he had done things he wasn't proud of but he did it for the freedom and protection of others.


	15. Chapter 15

" I call dibs," Tony announced suddenly as they sat in a partially ruined Stark tower after another particularly long mission with a good portion of the city destroyed and yet safe from the latest menace.

 

" Dibs on what?"

 

" Dibs on being Steve's legal guardian."

 

Steve, who was taking a large bite from his sandwich, swallowed a little too quickly and spluttered. Thor thumped him on the back. " My legal guardian?" he repeated in confusion once he was able to breath properly.

 

" 'Course. What other type of guardian is there?"

 

" You can't call dibs on that," Clint argued. "Steve is under SHIELD's guardianship after ..." He uncomfortably coughed before continuing. " But the point is, next in line would be Nat or me."

 

Natasha inclined her head in agreement, as if daring the others to make a contention against her claim. Tony was not to be swayed. " And what would you do if Steve wanted to get official documentations?" he shot back. " On a technicality, you two don't exist in the real world, unfortunately. Better to have someone more noteworthy and well-known. Like me."

 

" The whole world would suspect something if the great Tony Stark adopted someone out of the blue," Clint retorted. " Steve Stark stands out as much as Steve Rogers."

 

" Steve Stark doesn't sound right," Natasha inconspicuously muttered. And even Steve sheepishly concurred.

 

" While I don't understand this dispute about dibs, I will gladly offer my guardianship to the good Captain," Thor proposed. " We are blood brothers after all. I'm certain my father and mother would not refuse to adopt such a worthy person as Steve."

 

Clint rolled his eyes. " We're looking for more 'earthly' guardianship, Thor. Don't think the government would accept having a demigod as a legal guardian."

 

" But to have the protection of Odin is a very distinguished honour," he frowned, wondering how Earth wouldn't consider being Odin's son something of great standing.

 

" And what am I? Dog food?" Tony indignantly snapped.

 

A rise of heated voices erupted at the table. Clint and Tony loudly bickered of pointless jabs and insults with Natasha glaring and interrupting periodically and Thor booming his opinion. Steve was swiveling his head back and forth between them, like a child watching his parents fight, feeling simultaneously mortified and embarrassed that this was brought up in the first place.

 

Finally, Bruce, who had been quiet this whole time, spoke up.

 

" Why not me?"

 

Silence descended. Bruce mildly continued as if there wasn't a pause. " I am an ordinary citizen. SHIELD was able to restore my past credentials and documents and as far as most people know, I'm a simple scientist who had taken leave for an extended time. Less people know of Bruce Banner compared to the Other Guy, so neither Steve or I would stand out in particular."

 

He smiled suspiciously cheerfully and if the others thought he was looking smug, they chose not to say it out loud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted the Avengers squabbling over who would be Steve's legal guardian since in this story, practically all of them are double his age, though Thor is most likely triple or quadruple that age. Besides, I've always had a soft spot for adoption fics. And the scene where Bruce briefly touched the rocking cradle convinced me that out of the Avengers, he would want children the most and couldn't have them. On a side note, for the purpose of this story, the Avengers don't know that Coulson is still alive.


	16. Chapter 16

Thor had been enjoying the delightful company of Jane and Darcy for a hearty meal when he received a call. The sound of Clint's clipped, tense voice was enough to have Thor hastily bid farewell to the girls. It only took four words for Thor to fly off to the Stark Tower in wind-breaking speeds.

 

_Something happened to Steve._

 

With a clap of thunder, he arrived, nearly shattering windows and crashing through an ill-lucked door. " What has happened?" he demanded, hurrying next to the bedside of Steve who was still and unmoving, looking frightfully pale and cold. A rapid barrage of thoughts filtered through Thor's mind, wondering what could have befell on Steve, ranging from poison to sickness to injury.

 

Bruce sighed and the lines across his face became more pronounced. " Steve has fallen asleep and isn't waking up."

 

Thor frowned, allowing the words to slowly sink in. " I don't understand."

 

" Neither do we," Clint impatiently interjected. He gritted his teeth, fingers tapping against his arm. " One minute he was talkingwith Natasha and me. Then, he fell to the floor like he was dead."

 

" JARVIS checked him over before Bruce arrived and there were no signs of him being attacked or any foul play going on." Tony was staring frustratedly at the gleam of perfectly normal vitals hanging over Steve. " If I didn't know any better, he's become a real life version of Sleeping Beauty."

 

A half an hour later and Nick Fury was grimly reporting how every person under the age eighteen around the world had fallen into a comatose state like Steve.

 

Parents were rushing children to hospitals, demanding for a cure. Shouting at authorities why their babies and toddlers and teenagers were dead to the world. Wailing and sobbing if they would remain like this.

 

They worked frenetically with SHIELD's best and every possible ally, searching for some clue or lead for why this had happened and who had done this. Bruce's voice had an additional feral growl in it every time he spoke and Natasha had yet to leave the training room, filling it with broken punching bags on the floor. Tony downed coffee after coffee as he tirelessly worked through the nights and Clint couldn't be found anywhere (though some suspected he kept watch in the air vents).

 

The air was thick and heavy with electricity in whichever room Thor was in and that room was mostly Steve's. Most of the nurses and doctors attempted to persuade him not to frizzle out any important equipment and he regretfully informed them he couldn't make any promises. He would sit next to Steve, memorizing the declining colour and thinning of Steve's cheeks, the steady sound of the medication that the doctors assured him were keeping Steve hydrated, the ragged rise and fall of Steve's chest signalling he was still alive.

 

It must be some sort of spell, he had insisted to the others. He sought out the sorcerers and magicians of Earth and other worlds, demanding for answers and they could only stammer out that it wasn't them. Exhausted and despairing, he returned to Asgard, seeking for someone to reverse the spell. Only Heimdell was able to provide a helpful lead.

" I sense what was done to Earth was more personal than you could have known," he intoned in his deep voice.

 

" We already spoke to any and all who had the capabilities to do this," Thor shook his head.

 

" Not all." Heimdell shifted, turning his gaze upon him. " Steve Rogers was deliberately targeted for this spell."

 

Thor's mouth was dry. " How? No one else knows of his true age."

 

" There are few who know _you_ well enough," the Gatekeeper quietly reminded. And that was enough to send Thor straight to the dungeons where his brother was being detained.

 

" Loki, what have you done?" he demanded.

 

" I have done nothing," Loki smoothly replied. His spidery fingers were clasped in-between one another as he rested his chin upon them, smiling at Thor mockingly. " To what do I owe a visit from my dear brother?"

 

" If you played a part in harming the Captain..." he growled out in warning.

 

" Ahh. The Captain. A man out of his time," Loki sighed wistfully. " Strange how you've become so attached to someone so valiant. So brave. And so _young,_ " he drawled out the last word with relish.

 

" No more of your tricks, Loki. Tell me who did this."

 

" Did you enjoy having an equal fight by your side?" he suddenly asked, sitting up straight and dark eyes boring into Thor's. " Few could keep up with you and it must have felt so exhilarating to have this human do so. But the Captain – he left such an impression on you that you would go as far to abandon your own brother and run towards this _child_ ," he distastefully spat out. " Clinging to him, coddling him, thinking you could protect him, wishing your father would proclaim him as one of his own, desiring he was truly your real brother instead of – "

 

" Enough!" Thor slammed a hand against the barrier separating him and Loki. The wall trembled and Loki's smirk grew.

 

He drew a slow inhale, forcing his voice to be steady. " I will ask you one last time. Who are you working with? Who did this?"

 

" You." Loki retreated back to his corner, like a serpent that was satisfied with toying and eating its prey. " It is you that is to blame for this. Attachment to those mortals was a dangerous thing, Thor. You and I both know how fragile they are. And now Steve Rogers will pay for it, forever to stay in an enchanted sleep until he withers away in death."

 

He gave a cackling laugh and said no more. But as Thor reluctantly walked away, an idea struck him. Loki's words about an enchanted sleep, combined with Tony mentioning Steve being a "sleeping beauty", triggered Thor's rage as he realized who was behind this.

 

" Amora the Enchantess," he vehemently announced to his teammates, feeling fire boiling in his veins. " It was her that did this." He had spoken with her, pleaded with her to help, and with her earnest eyes that only looked towards him, she assured him she would.

 

Her power and magic did not stand a chance at the remaining five Avengers, whose overstrung emotions for the past few days made them all too willing to descend in a fury of fists, bullets and arrows. Thor in particular was brutal and merciless against her, as her means to place Steve and all the children of the Earth in danger on using it as leverage to keep him for herself were not taken lightly.

 

When she fell upon the last strike by Clint and when Maria Hill was quick to inform them that Steve and all the other children on Earth woke up groggy and confused but very much alive, everyone finally breathed properly again.

 

" You would place a mere human boy above your own people?" Amora hissed in a final act of defiance as Asgardian soldiers prepared to bring her back to Asgard.

 

Thor leveled a solemn gaze at her, his wrath calmed and now filled with gravity and sorrowfulness. " Steve Rogers is no mere human boy," he quietly said just before she was transported, snarling and shrieking.

 

Because Steve Rogers was not some replacement for Loki and for Asgard. Steve had become a reliant commander, a dependable teammate and a close friend for Thor, all in quick succession. And as Thor and the others recounted their tale to the curious (and talking and laughing and _living_ again) Steve, he would gladly fight and protect all the kindness and goodness that Steve carried within him that cheerfully affected others and warmed their hearts as easy as Steve breathed.

 

It was the greatest honour Thor could bestow upon Steve that he would call this man his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter originally started small before becoming bigger than I expected. I hoped I got Loki's character down and I wondered if in canon, he harboured some jealousy and envy towards Steve, especially with the transformation scene in Thor: The Dark World as a way to get under Thor's skin. And if he found out that potentially Thor would replace him with Steve, how would he react?


	17. Chapter 17

From his perch, Clint had a perfect view of the screens that allowed him to watch as the mission unfolded quietly, even as every fiber in his body was tense. Thanks to Tony hacking the building's camera systems and Steve and Natasha wearing hidden microphones, they were able to listen and see everything, which helped to relieve some of the uneasiness that he was here while Steve and Natasha were there.

 

SHIELD had tracked an underground weapons operation and managed to get their hands on a certain Luke Niels who was one of the individuals with the intent of attending. After being interrogated by Natasha (everyone felt a stab of pity for him), Niels told them what they needed to know.

 

Steve was the only one who matched the closest to Niels' physical appearance and so with the help of a high tech mask and voice changer, he infiltrated the headquarters with hair slicked back, wearing glistening glasses and wearing a crisp new suit (with Natasha acting as his meek, overlooked secretary) to act as a potential buyer.

 

“ _I feel like I'm about to see the president instead of doing a mission,” Steve complained as he let Natasha fussed over his tie and reminding him not to quirk his mouth to the side when he was frustrated since Niels never did that. He looked uncomfortable wearing such formal wear while trying to remember all the mannerism of the amoral and detached businessman he was going to impersonate._

 

“ _Ain't our fault Niels was fond of suits and ties and acted like he never knew the word 'relax' even if it hit him in the face,” Tony grinned. “ You missed a spot there by the way,” he casually pointed out to Natasha who immediately pounced on the stray strands of hair sticking out of place._

 

“ _You are enjoying this far too much,” Steve mumbled and the petulant expression reminded them all too much of a pouting child that they couldn't help but laugh._

 

So far the mission had been going smoothly. Clint was impressed how well Steve was able to mimic the biting steel-like tone in Niels' voice and match his arrogant body movements with minimal practice (and subtle cues from Natasha). It was quite the 180 degree difference from Steve's normal personality. If Steve had been anyone else, he might have recommended a good acting agent.

 

As Steve and Natasha was being led through the corridors by an assistant intimidated by Steve's apathetic stance, a young Japanese man in a lab coat appeared, noticed Steve and made straight for him. “ Mr Niels, what a pleasure to see you again,” he beamed, a bright contrast to the (forcefully) frowning Steve.

 

Steve gave him a curt nod, as someone indifferent to anyone lesser than him. The man smiled ignorantly at him and began to speak in rapid Japanese and expectantly waited for him to speak.

 

They all froze. Nothing in their reports on Niels had indicated that he knew Japanese or this man who appeared to be a technician of some sort. Steve and Natasha's covers would be blown and they would be trapped underground where they and the rest of SHIELD would be too far and too late to help them.

 

To the untrained eye, no one would have noticed Natasha's hand subtly reaching towards her thigh, her eyes emotionless, ready to kill anyone who stood between her and Steve.

 

“ Get out of there,” Maria Hill hissed into the microphone, just as Tony snapped behind her at Fury to get backup.

 

Without batting an eye, Steve replied in an impassive dialect of Japanese. To their amazement, the man's expression brightened and they continued a smooth conversation only apparent to them (and Natasha but the technician did not know that). As they continued their trek to the weapons convention, the rest of them breathed in relief.

 

“ Thank goodness for Jim Morita,” Tony muttered under his breath and Clint quietly agreed.

 

As Steve had eloquently demonstrated in previous missions, he knew French and German well enough. And now they could add Japanese to his impressively growing list of languages that Steve managed to surprise all of them with. And without a doubt, contributed to saving his and Natasha's covers a bit longer.

 

Thank goodness for Jim Morita, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After Steve spoke some French in Captain America: the Winter Soldier, I had this headcanon that he was able to fluently speak German and Japanese too. And it wouldn't hurt that with the super serum amplify everything, learning languages must come pretty easy to Steve.


	18. Chapter 18

Something in Tony was alight like fire and a part of him wondered if this was what it was like for Bruce Banner at keeping the Hulk at bay. It wasn't too long ago that he had received Natasha's – mixed and weaved between harsh, furious Russian words that were now coursing through his veins – report how Steve had recklessly rushed into a burning building to rescue civilians, endangering himself and Clint who blindly chased after him. When he heard that they returned to the Helicarrier, he stormed out to meet Steve and every SHIELD agent nearby was wise enough to turn heel and walk the opposite direction.

 

“ What were you thinking, Steve?” Tony demanded in a voice that was simultaneously hot and cold and it rang throughout the hallway, succeeding in making Steve take a step backwards in alarm. He marched right up to him, Captain America or not, fury radiating in waves.

 

“ I –”

 

Tony almost wanted to jab a finger at his chest. “ And Legolas? What about him following you into the building? You could have died. He could have died.”

 

Guilt flashed across Steve's face and he ducked his head like a child in trouble. A disheveled Clint then hastily came to his rescue. “ But we didn't,” he pointed out, palms raised as a peace offering. “ I'm fine. Steve's fine. And so are the civilians.”

 

He glared at Clint too. “ You were both in that burning building for how long? How much smoke do you think the two of you inhaled before you got to the civilians and were able clear out from the fire?”

 

Right on cue, Tony could see Steve and Clint tasting the soot sticking to their mouths and trying to hide the itch of a wheeze deep in their lungs. That wasn't something they had considered and it made him angrier at them. Especially Steve. Who was recklessly risking his life without any regard for his own. Who was naive enough to believe he could save everyone. Who didn't seem to understand that he could trust adults like them and let them shoulder part of the burden as well.

 

His next words were for Steve alone. “ You didn't think. You didn't think about the consequences of doing something as careless as running into a burning building. You didn't think about what we would do and what would have happened if we had to tell everyone else that you died. You didn't think for a moment that you are just a kid risking your life on –”

 

Tony cut himself off, realizing he nearly just blurted out Steve's secret in public. Steve had a comically alarmed look on his face and Clint hurriedly glanced around to make sure it was only them in the hallway. Fortunately they were alone and if Tony had to erase the security footage and anything else to make this scene disappear, he would do it in a heartbeat.

 

He took a breath to steady himself and then lowered his voice. “ We're going to have another talk about this,” he glared at Steve who wilted pitifully. “ You're not going anywhere in the next 24 hours until I'm done talking with you.”

 

As he stomped away, he heard Clint muttering incredulously, “ Did I just witness Captain America being grounded?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sometimes imagined Tony as the "cool dad/brother" of the group, almost careless and always wanting to have fun, but when it really came down to it, he would be upset and worried if he saw the others behaving recklessly like him.


	19. Chapter 19

It was a rare night that Natasha realized that Steve's bedroom door had not been fully shut. Part of her rationalized that they all had a long day dealing with the aftermath of saving Paris from the latest menace, as well as the aftermath of dealing with reporters, fans and anti-fans waiting to sink their teeth into them. If Steve was too exhausted to close his door entirely, who was she to judge?

 

And yet ...

 

Despite the fact Clint and Tony teased her that she was fond of “mothering” Steve, she could not help but peer through the crack of the door.

 

He was curled underneath the blankets, back to the wall, a defensive position Natasha was familiar with, having employ it herself every night. One hand was hidden but she suspected it was curled below his pillow, perhaps barely brushing against a loaded gun.

 

Just in case.

 

And if she knew Steve, at a second's notice, he would be up on his feet, grab his shield that was strategically placed near his right arm and ready to take down the enemy, his army training having been drilled into his mind from the very beginning.

 

Even in sleep, Steve Rogers was a soldier through and through.

 

Much like her and the very thought of it made her ill.

 

Abruptly, there was a shift in Steve's sleep and he turned slightly to the side with a faint groan that made Natasha's heart jolt with concern.

 

She recalled the times Steve had nightmares even if he tried to valiantly hide it from the rest of them. Where he woke up gasping and sweating and wanting to scream but didn't have the breath to. Sometimes he called for Bucky, Peggy, Howard and his Howling Commandos, harsh choked cries mixed with tears. Other times he begged and pleaded to unknown faces, endlessly apologizing for things far beyond his control.

 

“ _It's-it's fine. I'm fine,” he lied amidst his red-rimmed eyes and shaky voice, trying not to show how uncomfortable he was with all of them crowding around him. “ I-It was stupid anyways. Nothing to worry about.”_

 

“ _No. No.” They murmured, soft and gentle, wanting to reach out to him but not wanting to estrange him further. “ Talk to us. Let us help you. We are right here.”_

 

“ _Nothing to worry about,” Steve repeated mechanically, smiling an empty smile that made them cringe and wish they could say or do something – anything – to take it all away._

 

Fortunately, on this night, Steve settled back down with a soft yawn and continued to sleep peacefully, untouched by dark and ugly things and allowed her to breath again.

 

It was not fair, Natasha thought to herself. It was not fair that Steve should be having these nightmares, mourning for lost loved ones and tormenting himself over unavoidable mistakes and unforgettable decisions.

 

Her hand twitched and for the first time, it was not following the familiar motion of pulling the trigger of a gun. Part of her chided herself for behaving so childish as to want to reach out and mimic the soothing touch of a mother comforting her own flesh and blood. Steve was not her child (she was not that old) and he was not the child they believed him to be.

 

But this wasn't about any child or any mother. This was Steve and this was her.

 

Quieter than any living cat, Natasha slipped through the shadows and approached Steve's bed. And gentler than a butterfly's kiss, she brushed a hand over Steve's hair as if the act alone could dissipate all his nightmares. And faster than a bullet, she was already out of the room, closing the door behind her.

 

She and the others might not be able to stop the nightmares entirely but they could silently support Steve until he was ready and they would be there for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a sucker for comforting those while they sleep. And I think Steve and Natasha would be pretty similar in that they are light sleepers, always on the go and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice due to their background.


End file.
